Douglas Stuart, 20th Earl of Moray


Douglas John Moray Stuart, 20th Earl of Moray, styled Lord Doune from 1943 to 1974, was a Scottish peer.

Early life

Stuart was born on 13 February 1928 in Johannesburg, South Africa. He was the eldest son of Archibald Stuart, 19th Earl of Moray and Mabel Helen Maud "May" Wilson. Among his siblings were Lady Hermione Mary Morton Stuart, Hon. Charles Rodney Stanford Stuart, and Hon. James Wallace Wilson Stuart.
His paternal grandparents were Morton Stuart, 17th Earl of Moray and Edith Douglas Palmer. His maternal grandfather was Benjamin Wilson of Battlefields, Zimbabwe.
His father had purchased a remote cattle ranch, Saas Poste, to the east of the Kalahari Desert in Botswana, then Bechuanaland Protectorate, in 1922. He was educated at Hilton College, located near the town of Hilton in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, South Africa. In 1947, he matriculated at Trinity College, Cambridge.

Career

He was appointed Fellow, Land Agents' Society in 1948 and then a Fellow, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. In 1984, the Moray placed Doune Castle, which had been held by the family since 1570, into the care of the nation. It is now looked after by Historic Scotland.
On his father's death in 1974, he succeeded to the earldom of Moray, among others in the Peerage of Scotland and the 12th Baron Stuart of Castle Stuart in the Peerage of Great Britain. He lost his seat in the House of Lords after the reforms of the House of Lords Act 1999.

Car collection

Lord Doune's car collection began in 1953 and by 1970 it was decided to open the collection to the public as the Doune Motor Museum. This linked in turn to one of the world's steepest races: The Doune Hill Climb, a timed event. Before the museum closed on 30 November 1998, his collection included:

Personal life

On 27 January 1964, he married Lady Malvina Dorothea Murray, daughter of Mungo Murray, 7th Earl of Mansfield and Mansfield, and Dorothea Carnegie. Together, they were the parents of two children:
Lord Moray died on 23 September 2011 and was succeeded in his titles by his only son, John. The Dowager Countess and her daughter Lady Louisa Howitt are Patronesses of the Royal Caledonian Ball.